Author Archive

MaggieSchmerin
Maggie
Schmerin

Spectrum To Host Free DC Week Event: Games for Change & Health - Brainstorming and Game Design Jam for HIV/AIDS

Friday, June 11th, 2010

dcweek2010-320Spectrum is excited to help kick-off Digital Capital Week, by hosting "Games for Change & Health Workshop: Brainstorming and Game Design Jam for HIV/AIDS" on Monday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at our K Street office. 

Video games are said to be extremely effective when designed to address a specific problem or teach a certain skill, where clear objectives can be stated and when deployed selectively within a context relevant to the learning activity and goal.

This workshop will give attendees knowledge about HIV/AIDS and "edu-gaming" - creating video games for an educational purpose - and attendees will work together to conceptualize video games which could help a variety of audiences better understand HIV/AIDS in Washington, D.C. and around the world. 

To register to attend this free workshop, click here.

Let the gaming begin!

Posted in Disease Awareness, Health 2.0, Infectious Disease, New Media, Social Media
By Maggie Schmerin | 2 Comments »

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

 
MaggieSchmerin
Maggie
Schmerin

Britain Bans Doctor Who First Linked MMR Vaccine to Autism

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

Earlier this week, Great Britain banned Andrew Wakefield, the doctor who first linked the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism, from practicing medicine in the U.K.Britain's General Medical Council said Dr. Wakefield and two other doctors acted unethically and showed a "callous disregard" for the children in their study on autism and vaccines that was first published in The Lancet in 1998. The medical body said Dr. Wakefield took blood samples from children at his son's birthday party, paying them 5 pounds (roughly $7.20 today) each and later joked about the incident. The General Medical Council said Wakefield abused his position as a doctor and "brought the medical profession into disrepute."

Dr. Wakefield's claims of a relationship between the MMR vaccine and autism prompted parents around the globe to not only question vaccinating their children, but also caused millions to forgo vaccinating their young ones all together. Immunization rates in the U.K. and other developed countries have noticeably decreased since Dr. Wakefield's article was first published over a decade ago. Outbreaks of the measles have continued in Europe, and there are still intermittent outbreaks in the U.S.  (more...)

Posted in Disease Awareness, Immunization
By Maggie Schmerin | No Comments »

Tags: , , , , , ,

 
MaggieSchmerin
Maggie
Schmerin

Spectrum Infection: Lessons Learned - H1N1 A Year Later

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

nicGreetings from the 44th National Immunization Conference in Atlanta! With the one year anniversary of the H1N1 outbreak upon us this week, there is not a more fitting place for officials from NIH, HHS, CDC, FDA, state and local health agencies, vaccine advocacy organizations and vaccine manufacturers to gather.

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius delivered the conference's keynote address, which focused on the response to the H1N1 flu pandemic, the lessons learned and efforts to strengthen America's health security in the future.

On April 21, 2009, the CDC was alerted to a new strain of influenza in California and Texas, similar to one that was presenting in Mexico. Kathleen Sebelius was still serving as governor of Kansas, but seven short days later would be sworn in as our country's 21st HHS Secretary and quickly whisked into the Situation Room at the White House where President Obama and other government leaders were beginning to mount an attack on what would become the world's first pandemic in 40 years.

Over the course of the past 12 months, the federal government worked alongside state and local health agencies to ensure that Americans were prepared for and protected against H1N1, and the H1N1 vaccine was the keystone of these efforts. As Secretary Sebelius stated, "The H1N1 vaccine was the most ambitious immunization campaign ever." (more...)

Posted in Infectious Disease
By Maggie Schmerin | No Comments »

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

 
MaggieSchmerin
Maggie
Schmerin

Developing the Country’s HIV/AIDS Strategy

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

This is the first in our series titled "Spectrum Infectious Thursdays," which will highlight pertinent issues in the infectious disease community.

Last week, I attended the Interagency Working Group Community Meeting for the National HIV/AIDS Strategy at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The purpose of the event was to provide the public with an update on progress to date and the process that the interagency working group is following to develop the country's first-ever National HIV/AIDS Strategy.

Hosted by the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) and the Office of Public Health and Science (OPHS) at HHS, the meeting brought together approximately 200 attendees from a variety of vantage points - federal agencies, non-profit organizations, and concerned advocates.

President Obama meets with White House Office of National AIDS Policy Director of Jeffrey Crowley (Photo Credit: The White House)

President Obama meets with White House Office of National AIDS Policy Director Jeffrey Crowley (Photo Credit: The White House)

Although the United States has one of the worst HIV epidemics among industrialized nations, we have never adopted a coordinated nationwide response to preventing, treating and managing this disease. President Obama is committed to addressing HIV and has tasked ONAP, under the direction of Jeffrey Crowley, to develop a National HIV/AIDS Strategy. There are three goals for the strategy:
  • 1. Reduce the number of new HIV infections;
  • 2. Increase access to care for people living with HIV and optimize health outcomes; and
  • 3. Reduce HIV-related disparities. (more...)

Posted in Infectious Disease
By Maggie Schmerin | 1 Comment »

Tags: , , , ,

 
MaggieSchmerin
Maggie
Schmerin

Apple’s Prescription for Health Care?

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

As the buzz around Apple's Tablet reaches a fever pitch, one looming question remains - what exactly is the Tablet and how will it affect the health care industry?

An artist rendition of the proposed Apple Tablet

An artist rendition of the proposed Apple Tablet

Expected to be unveiled on Wednesday, the Tablet (or iSlate as it is rumored to be named) is a device similar to Amazon's Kindle - a 10-inch touch screen tablet designed for consuming a variety of media including video, news, books and music. Already considered one of the most overhyped products of all time by PC World,

While little is known about the Tablet, the effect it's expected to have on the healthcare industry is big. Jason Wilk of Tinycomb.com sees the tablet as the next-generation electronic clipboard for healthcare providers. While Apple products are generally consumer-focused, Wilk predicts the Tablet will be heavily marketed to hospitals and health care providers as the push to take medical records electronic grows. (more...)

Posted in Technology
By Maggie Schmerin | 1 Comment »

Tags: , ,

 
MaggieSchmerin
Maggie
Schmerin

The App Lab: Convenience for Chronic Pain

Monday, January 11th, 2010

The App Lab is a reoccurring series on The Full Spectrum Blog which introduces and analyzes iPhone and smartphone applications related to the health and science industries.

Nearly one in two Americans suffers from a chronic disease. Characterized by their reoccurrence and long-lasting symptoms, chronic diseases can often be overwhelming and burdensome. The boom in iPhone applications has introduced a wide variety of technology to help patients better control their health through the convenience and privacy of their mobile phones.

Below is a sampling of popular iPhone apps for the management of chronic diseases.

Glucose Buddy

The Glucose Buddy iPhone app

The Glucose Buddy iPhone app

Diabetes is a chronic disease which affects nearly 8% of the world's population. The most popular diabetes-related iPhone app is Glucose Buddy, which allows diabetics to record and monitor their glucose levels, as well as their medicine, food and physical activity. The app then provides detailed color-coded logs and graphs of the user's statistics, which can be emailed to a doctor or exported to Excel documents.

WaveSense

Launched by AgaMatrix, maker of glucose monitoring products, WaveSense Diabetes Manager is an electronic logbook for diabetes data management. WaveSense provides graphing of glucose data, automatic mealtime tagging of results, insulin dosage management and statistical analysis of glucose results. (more...)

Posted in Technology, The App Lab
By Maggie Schmerin | 1 Comment »

Tags: , , ,

 
« Older Entries